Channel-flap opener and moistener.



J. ELDERKIN. CHANNEL PLAP OPENER AND NIOIS'FBNBN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15. 1907.

- vPatent-,m1A Jan. 23, 1912.

Lal-5,729. a

'FAES- onion;

CHANNEL-FLA? OPENER AND MOISTENER.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

vApplication led April 15, 1907. Serial No. 368,344.. l

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ELDERKIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved lChannel-Flap Opener and Moistener, of Which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanism designed to prepare the soles of shoes for leveling ai'ter the same have been seWed; the object of my invention being to provide means for wetting the channel flap after cement has been applied thereto in order that said .flap may be rendered suiiiciently iieXible or soft to properly fold back in its proper place upon the sole and be secured by the -cement provided on the inner surface of the same, under the action of the leveling machine.

My invention isfully disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in Which: Figure l, is a perspective View of an apparatus einbodying my invention; Fig. 2, is a sectional view of the same, and Figs. 3, 4 and 5, are sectional views of different forms of nozzles for engagement with the Work, adapted to discharge suitable liquid under pressure against the same.

In the manufacture of that class oi shoes in which the sole is channeled to receive the stitches, a flap of leather is turned up in the channeling operation which must be afterward pressed down`and secured to the sole under a leveling operation in finishing .the shoe. 'In order to accomplish this satisfactorily, itis necessary to wet or dampen the flap turnedup in the channeling operation, in order that it may be turned over and flattened down. The usual practice has been to wet the entire sole.- rlhis is objectionable, however, as it necessitates the wetting of the cement as ivell, and in many instances discolors the uppers and soles. With the use ci my invention I only Wet the channel flap and insure a neater and more satisfactoryy result, avoiding all possibility oit staining' soles or uppers of the most delicate goods. The use of my invention also advances the Work with much. greater rapidity, as hereto- 'fore the soles of the shoes were Wet through and it was necessary to set them aside for from five to ten hours before the next operation. By the use of my invention, however, the shoe is ready for leveling immediately after the spraying and flap lifting operation, and a great saving of time and labor is thereby eiiected.

In carrying out iny invention, I provide a nozzle 1 having an aperture 2 through which a tine spray ot Water under pressure is delivered against the flap, in the manner shown in Fig. 1; the end oi the nozzle being so shaped. as to lift the Hap as the spray is v, ing' delivered thereto. This nozzle is shovv'ii in section in Fig. 3, and is vertically notched or grooved in the manner indicated to facilitate the passage of spray. The operator holds a shoe in his hand, and beginning at the point indicated in Fig. l, turns the shoe until all portions of theV flap have been brought under the influence of the spray. The nozzle is so shaped and the Work is so carried out that the spray engages only the rear `surface of the flap and consequently there is no danger lof staining the surface of the sole lying between the flap. After this dainpening operation, the operator pushes down to a certain extent the hitherto raised iiap and the shoe is then passed to the leveling machine Where the pressure applied is suiiicient to cause the dampened iiap to be `firmly. caught and held by the cement on the under surface of the same.

In the manufacture of certain grades of shoes, it may be desirable to Wet the entire surface of the sole, and for this purpose I provide a nozzle of the type shown in Fig. 4, having a supplemental aperture 3 at the reai"` of the main aperture; through which siipplemental aperture spray will be delivered over the surface of the sole lying between Athe upturned flap, and by this means the wetting of the sole may be effected uniformly. In some instances, also, it may be desirable to apply a tine spray to the ce niented surface of the flap to assist in soitening the" cement preparatory to securing the flap in place, and for this purpose a struc-y ture of the type illustrated in Fig. 5 may be; l employed, in which two nozzles are shown?. 10G arranged to discharge toward each other; the usual nozzle being shown at l, While the supplemental nozzle is shown'at 4i. Ylhenv applied to the shoe, this structure will effect the wetting/of both sides of the Hap.

= The nozzle shown in Fig. 4, and the pair I it is discharged.

,.1 sary liquid|to effect this of nozzles shown in Fig. 5, are notched in a 1 manner similar to lthe nozzle shown in Ewigt '.f 1'

For` the I,ptn/'pose of providing the necesi spraying act-ion, I providejla tank 5 mounted upon a suitable support,6,' t'dwhich tank Water or other desired iuid is supplied by a pipe 7 In the "present instance, this tank comprises a glass cylinder-'8, held to a base 9 by means of suitable bolts 10 passing through a cover 11 and entering said base; the joints between the base and cover being closed by means of suitable gaskets A12. Fluid under pressure, such as air or steam,I is directed by a pipe 13 to a through opening 14formed in the base 9,and such. pressure may enter the waterholding-tank 5 through a pipe 15 so as to discharge water therefrom through anoutlet 16. A portion of the air passing vinto the through opening 14 finds its way beyond the pipe 15,and engagingthe water discharging through the outlet 16 delivers the same to the nozzle from `which it is ejected in the form of spray. Controlling the delivery of air and water, by suitable hand wheels 19 and 20 respectively. The water pipe is also provided with a valve 21, which is usually slightly open 'as to-permit Water to enter the tank 5 as fast as I do notuherein claim the process involved are valves 17 and 18 operated in the use of my invention; the same form` ing the subject-matter of an application by me Aon v the 26th day of December,

1911, under Serial No. 667,628. y

I claim:

' 1. 'The combination of la tool having a suby vstantially wedge-shaped lend for lifting the channel flap of a shoe sole, said tool being apertured for 4the passage of forming a spray nozzle,l a vsource of liquid supply, and means for delivering a supply of air under pressure lto discharge said liquid from the nozzle 4in the form of spray, said nozzle having its substantially wedge-'shaped end grooved vertically inline with its aperture to facilitate the spraying action when said nozzle is pressed against the channel flap to raise the same.

2. 'Ihe combination of a tool shaped to vlift the channel ap of shoe soles, said tool having a plurality of diverging apertures for the passage'of li uid,l a source of liquid supply, and means or discharging liquid :from said tool in the form of spray whereby it is directed upon the flap and soleof the shoe.; f y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.,

Joint L'BERKIN. Witnesses MURRAY C. Borne, Jos. H. KLEIN.

liquid and 

